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Nationals Announce Which Players Won the 2026 Media Awards
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- Nationals Announce Which Players Won the 2026 Media Awards
Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On Saturday, the Washington Nationals revealed which players won the 11th annual end-of-season awards voted on by members of the local media.
Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and what is titled the "Good Guy Award" has been handed out since 2016, with notable names taking home those honors at different times during that span. The "Good Guy Award" is given to a player for "his always-professional dealings with members of the media, his work in the community and for representing the Nationals organization with class both on and off the field."
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This season, James Wood was named the Player of the Year, while Cade Cavalli was named the Pitcher of the Year. Both Nasim Nunez and Jacob Young were handed the Good Guy Award.
James Wood Named Player of the Year
Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Wood took home this honor for the second straight season. Some in the fanbase might be surprised by that based on how great CJ Abrams has been at the plate this year. But there's no doubt that Wood was incredible once again during his young career, as he was one of only five players in the MLB who hit 30-plus home runs and stole 20-plus bases this season. He also was one of two players who had at least 100 walks and 100 runs scored.
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Wood also had 10 leadoff home runs this year, which was the second-most in major league history. While he has limped to the finish line to close out this season, some of that could be attributed to the injured list stint he had in August .
Per the Nationals' announcement, Wood won this award with 62% of the vote from the local media, while Abrams came in second with 37.5% of the vote.
Cade Cavalli Unsurprisingly Was Named Pitcher of the Year
Washington Nationals pitcher Cade Cavalli | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While there might have been some surprise that Wood was named the team's Player of the Year this season, there should be no surprise that Cavalli was named the Pitcher of the Year.
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Cavalli was flat-out dominant , and he was even better in the second half of the year. He finished his first full big league campaign with an ERA of 3.02. He was also just the fifth player in team history (2005-present) to record 200 or more strikeouts in a single season, as he finished right at 200 before Washington shut him down for his final scheduled start of the year.
The right-hander fully earned the ace mantra, and that secured him a nice contract extension , too. The Nationals look like they have a great one on their hands, and barring health, they should have one of the best starters in the majors leading their rotation for the next handful of seasons.
Nasim Nunez, Jacob Young Take Home Good Guy Award
Washington Nationals outfielder Jacob Young and infielder Nasim Nunez | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
For the first time since these media awards begun, two players took home this award.
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It's the second time Young has earned the Good Guy Award, as he previously won it in 2024. Per the team, Young visited the Inova Children's Hospital, participated in meet and greets with DCIAA high school softball players, visited the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy and participated in several other community activities. That coincided with his breakout season at the plate, as he answered the bell when it came to becoming an everyday player in the outfield.
As for Nunez, he was the team's representative for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award , so taking home this honor shouldn't be too much of a surprise. He is involved in a ton of different things around the community, and he is an active presence at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.
Other players receiving votes for the Good Guy Award were Cavalli, Dylan Crews , Luis Garcia Jr., Brady House , Jake Irvin , Daylen Lile , Miles Mikolas and Drew Millas .
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nationals Announce Which Players Won the 2026 Media Awards .
